About this trip idea

Allow 2 days.

Auburn, once a rich hub of auto manufacturing, is now a hub for transportation heritage with museums about planes, trains and automobiles. The museums offer a Passport ticket, so pick one up at your first stop. Here you’ll pay regular admission, then receive discounted admission to the others.

Planes and TrainsDiscover the people who designed, built, flew and maintained vintage aircraft at the Hoosier Air Museum located at the DeKalb County Airport. Committed to preserving military aviation history, the museum collection includes two WWI French Nieuport fighters and a Cobra Helicopter.

In Garrett, about 10 minutes west of Auburn, the Garrett Historical Railroad Museum awaits. Located in a restored early 1900s Baltimore & Ohio freight station, the exhibit tells the story of Garrett’s history and includes a scale model railroad, post office railcar and Chesapeake & Ohio caboose.

And, AutomobilesThe Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, a National Historic Landmark,exhibits over 120 cars ranging from 1894 to 1999. The exhibit is housed in the original Act-Deco headquarters of the Auburn Automobile Company, the creators of Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg automobiles.

Next door, in the former manufacturing building is the National Automotive and Truck Museum. Also a National Historic Landmark, NATMUS (for short) exhibits post World War II cars, muscle cars, trucks and 1908 “high wheelers” to current production pickups.

The American Heritage Village is home to two museums: The National Military History Center and the Kruse Automotive & Carriage Museum. The Military History center offers a compelling World War II story. The Kruse Automotive & Carriage Museum features a variety of vehicles: from carriages to race cars to movie cars and even Carl Casper hot rods.

The newest addition to Auburn’s collection of automotive history museums is the Early Ford V-8 Museum, honoring Ford Motor Company’s 1932-1953 influence on American auto history.